ProVeg Nigeria highlights plant-based foods as Africa consults on draft standard for intensive chicken farms
ProVeg Nigeria has urged food authorities across Africa to focus on preserving and promoting the continent’s indigenous, plant-rich diets rather than facilitating the growth of intensive chicken farms.
ProVeg’s statement follows the release for consultation by the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) of a draft standard on battery cages for laying hens.
In a letter to ARSO sent this week, ProVeg Nigeria’s director, Hakeem Jimo, said that ARSO needs to look beyond animal-based protein and prioritise plant-based proteins instead.
“We need to ensure sufficient and sustainable protein for Africa’s growing population and to future-proof our food systems,” Jimo said. “To do that, we must look beyond animal-based protein, which faces persistent challenges of affordability, accessibility, and distribution as well as raising health and environmental concerns,” he said.
ProVeg notes that the nutritional needs of the African population can be met with plant-based and indigenous plant-based diets.
But intensive animal farming brings major challenges to nutrition and food security, such as the pollution of the environment and human health issues, including an elevated risk of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)1,2 and the risk of future pandemics.3
Make plant-based proteins the priority
Jimo strongly urges ARSO to prioritize the standardization and value-addition of climate-resilient, indigenous plant-based proteins.
“Strengthening the quality infrastructure for crops like cowpeas and bambara groundnuts aligns more closely with the goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, than the expansion of intensive, resource-heavy animal agriculture,”4 he said.
“Furthermore, standardizing plant-based proteins enables African producers to tap into the rapidly expanding global market for sustainable ingredients, improving the continent’s trade balance while promoting nutrient-dense food that can more effectively support the continent’s nutritional needs,” Jimo added.
ProVeg notes that targeted investments in research, infrastructure, and market development for plant-based solutions can yield a significantly higher positive impact for the population and the economy than promoting battery cages. Additionally, the promotion of battery cages directly contradicts ARSO’s own draft cage-free standards (CD-ARS 1851).
ENDS
Footnotes
- Xin, H., M. Gao, X. Wang, et al. (2022): Animal farms are hot spots for airborne antimicrobial resistance. Science of The Total Environment 851 158050. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158050
- Ardakani, Z., M. Canali, M. Aragrande, et al. (2023): Evaluating the contribution of antimicrobial use in farmed animals to global antimicrobial resistance in humans. One Health 17 100647. doi:10.1016/j.onehlt.2023.100647
- Stevenson, P. (2023): Links between industrial livestock production, disease including zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance. Animal Research and One Health 1(1), 137–144. doi:10.1002/aro2.19
- Tan, X. L., S. Azam-Ali, E. V. Goh, et al. (2020): Bambara Groundnut: An Underutilized Leguminous Crop for Global Food Security and Nutrition. Frontiers in Nutrition 7 601496. doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.601496. https://scijournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jsfa.9074
Notes to Editors
For general media inquiries, email Peter Rixon at [email protected].
For scientific data about the benefits of plant-based eating, see our Food System Data website.
About ProVeg International
Our vision is a world where the food we eat is good for all people, animals, and our planet.
Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable global food system by making plant-rich foods and alternative proteins more accessible and appealing.
